The summer is really like spring for cross country enthusiasts who had to wait all winter and spring for their time of the year to talk up their sport. All over the Midwest coaches, athletes, parents, and fans get excited about the prospects of the coming fall and what to expect. In Illinois, cross country is huge and the expectations of storied programs never change. We start our countdown of the top 3A boys teams with #25 Lincoln-Way Central.
25) New Lenox (Lincoln-Way Central)
Head Coach: John Taylor
Last season’s final season finish: state- 23rd (523pts.)
Key returners: Chris Kaminski (Sr.)- 79th, Joey Nelson (Sr.)-143rd, Tommy Kolacki (Jr.)- 154th, Kevin Fabian (Sr.)- 158th, Nathan Coppens (So.)- 187th, Ben Zibricky (Sr.)- 190th, Andrew Robbins (Jr.).
Team outlook: The expectations will be huge for this season for the Knights who return six of seven state starters for Coach John Taylor. Chris Kaminski is the team’s top runner after running 15:17 last fall. He followed up matters with solid credentials 9:37/4:27. Tommy Kolacki is a promising future miler for the Knights after earning a trip to the state meet as a sophomore. He clocked a personal best 4:29 last spring. For this spring, it will be up to the pack to maintain that 30-40 second scoring split and move its way up in competitions. This team could be a top 15 squad by season’s end.
24) Wheaton North
Head Coach: Nate Roe
Last year’s final season finish: state- 21st (493 pts.)
Key returners: Joseph Emmanuel (Sr.)-145th, Wes Noyles (Sr.)-163rd, Danny Steeno (Jr.), Kilty Askin (Jr.)
Team outlook: There is a glimmer of hope for the Falcons who lost a ton to graduation. Joseph Emmanuel returns as the team’s top returner. He produced a solid track season running 9:42/4:24. Coach Nate Roe will build the team around him this fall followed by a few other decent parts such as Wes Noyles, Danny Steeno, and Kilty Askin.
23) Highland Park
Head Coach: Kevin Caines
Last year’s final season finish: state- 15th (382 pts.)
Key returners: Angel Estrada (Sr.)-43rd, Ben Casey (Jr.)- 156th, Grif Bojan (Sr.), James Rector (Sr.)- 207th, Brett Davidson (So.)
Team outlook: When the thought of suburban north shore cross country comes up, the name that pops up on the radar is New Trier. Well last season the Trevians had to share some of the spotlight with Highland Park who enjoyed a banner season. Although the super talented Jonah Hanig has moved on college, the Giants are expected to contend for at least a conference crown and a return trip back to Peoria. “The summer has been good with our core [group] putting in some quality miles,” said Coach Kevin Caines. “If our top seven stay healthy we should be competitive.” He added: “Angel Estrada is going to turn some heads this season.” The remark that he is referring to is the 15:02 that Estrada ran last year.
22) Head Coach: Scott Sommers
Last year’s final season finish: 9th- Schaumburg Sectional
Key returners: Sam Oh (Jr.), Jared Borowsky (So.), Alex Mazursky (Sr.), Josh McMullen (Jr.)
Team outlook: On the surface it’s really hard to gauge this team after its sectional performance from a year ago. But a deeper look says that 9th place at Schaumburg is a solid accomplishment. All of the teams from that sectional placed in the top 20 at state. Furthermore, the Patriots stormed back during the track season and produced a bevy of sweet marks by some of its future stars. Jared Borowsky was revered by many observers as the top freshman distance runner last spring. All he did was run 4:21 for 1600m and earn a trip to state. He was on the team’s 7:52 4x800m relay as well. His teammate Sam Oh also showed a prowess on the track running 4:30 for 1600m. Now, it’s time for the growing lads to switch to grass and build on their resumes this fall. It will be a banner season in the north suburbs this fall.
21) East Moline (United Township)-
Head Coach: Christopher Wallaert
Last year’s final season finish: state- 12th (341pts)
Key returners: Austin Baker (Sr.)- 19th, Tyler Rasso (Sr.)- 24th, Pauly Boore (Sr.)- 114th, Bruce Taylor (Sr.)- 116th, Isaac Boore (So.)- 151st, Sean Dopler (Sr.)-168th.
Season outlook: The good news is the Panthers return six of their top seven from last year. The bad news is there is a tremendous log jam of talented teams ahead of them with the same goal of competing for a top 10 spot. But having tremendous talent such as Austin Baker and Tyler Rasso is going to help a lot. Hopefully, both reining all-state runners from 2A can drag their teammates to a lower scoring split in order to compete against some of the elite teams in their new classification.